There are numerous things a home owner can do to make his or her garden humming-bird friendly. Comparatively easy adjustments can soon be rewarded by the presence of feeding humming birds as well as nesting females and their young ones.

Hummingbirds feed from nectar filled flowers and are important pollinators for many species. Planting a lot of suitable flower species in your garden is therefore a great way of attracting hummingbirds. Ideally include a lot of colourful blossoms, especially red ones since hummingbirds are known to be fascinated by the colour red. This is way a majority of the humming bird feeders are red. The recommended species flower will naturally depend on your geographical location, soil type, gardening skills etcetera.

Hummingbirds are preyed upon by many types of predatory birds and tree climbing snakes, and they can also fall prey to cats and other mammals. The Hummingbirds will therefore appreciate densely grown shrubs and bushes where they can stay hidden from above. There should preferably be a lot of twigs strong enough to support the tiny hummingbird, but weak enough to carry snakes and cats. By including such environments in your garden design, you may very well turn your garden into hummingbird territory. The hummingbirds might not only visit your garden to drink from a feeder; chances are that they will spend a lot of their time resting there too, especially if the surrounding gardens contains few suitable hiding spots for hummingbirds.

Offer the hummingbirds one or several feeders to drink from is naturally also an excellent way of making sure that you receive plenty of hummingbird visits. If the hummingbirds have trouble locating the feeder, you can hang the feeder next to some showy and colourful plants that can be easily seen from above. Using a red feeder is also a good idea, since the hummingbirds are known to investigate red objects. Once your hummingbirds have learned to associate hummingbird feeders with food, it is usually easy to make them understand that feeders of any colour contain food.

Using red dye in the hummingbird food is not necessary. Red food dye has been suspected of promoting tumour development in hummingbirds. The jury is still out on the subject, but until red food dye have been proven safe for hummingbirds, it is a good idea to stay clear of it. If your feeder is not red, you can instead place some red stickers on it to make the hummingbirds notice it.

You can often find hummingbird feeders for sale in garden depots, birding shops and department stores. If you fail to locate a vendor in your area, you can always order a hummingbird feeder from one of the many Internet shops that offer hummingbird feeders and food for sale online.

When you choose hummingbird feeder, it is important to pick one that is easy to clean. Hummingbirds are sensitive to mould and can be really sick if the ingest it. Hummingbird food will also ferment quite rapidly, especially in high temperatures. The feeder should therefore be cleaned frequently.

More information about humming birds and humming bird feeders.

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What a cruel trick the weather is playing on us.

WE HAVE SNOW ! ! !

A bit depressing for us outdoor types.

Yet, what better time to cheer myself up by writing to you.

Karen is in the kitchen right now.

Pookie (Putta) is leaning on me while I give him some attention.

Who knows where the cats are.

Yolonda is in her room folding cloths for her mom.

The feeders are busier right now with the nasty weather, too bad the windowsare closed again.

Some good news for me…………. my mom is back in her apartment aftera few weeks in the hospital and therapy.

I’m a mama’s boy so that was a bit taxing on me.

Last week I told you about the yard where I grew up.

My dad passed away 20 years ago, but my mom kept the “Ole Homestead”for another 15 years.

With her kids busy raising families of their own, the yard didn’t receive a lotof attention. Yet, the yard and wildlife flourished.

Mom added a humming bird garden off the back patio and would sit out thereon milder days and summer evenings and watch her little jewels.

Her birds would hardly flinch when we moved.

When filling her feeders, as soon as I turned my back the birds would show as fast as they left.

A small wooded area sat about 75 yards from our house. I believe the yardbecame an extension of the woods. As things grew, so did the collection of birds and wildlife.

HOW TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF BIRDS COMING TO YOUR YARD

Remember, where you live makes a difference in what you can plant and thevarieties of birds you will attract.

However, planting for birds will double the number of birds coming to your yard.

Here is a small list of trees for birds: Attracting Birds: Trees

Native trees work best, though not a total requirement. Some introduced specimens have been around long enough that plants and birds have adapted.

Look for trees that are zone hardy where you live.

Here is a zone map from USDA for North America:National Arboretum - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

If you need some help, talk to your local garden center or better yet - a Certified Nurseryman in your area.

Speak with a professional who can assist in planting guidelines and requirements; such as sun or shade, will a tree tolerate wet feet.

What about fertilizer?

LET’S TAKE A WALK!

It’s a nice day today, how about you and I go for a walk in a local park witha wooded area or find us an Arboretum.

Do you notice the canopies of the trees?

Do you see the brakes in the shaded areas?

The lower growing trees and shrubs.

Do you see the varieties of ground cover and under brush?

The wild flowers in bloom today are food tomorrow.

Can you hear the birds singing in the trees?

Did you notice the chickadee following us as we went down the trail?

I enjoyed this walk with you.

Let’s do this again a few more times. Every couple of months just to see whatnature is offering the birds.

WHAT IS NEXT

Remember, now, to start with what you have.

Make your current trees and shrubs a focal point for now.

Backyard habitats take time and are years in the making.

Do what your budget, time, and body will allow.

This is a very important point, so let me say it again here:

“Do what your budget, time, and body will allow.”

You’ll experience the most joy backyard birding if you use this approach.

Also, look for sales.

Do any of your friends have snips of bushes you could root?

How about a family member or friend that has a few extra trees growing in a field?

Ask if you could dig some up.

Explain what you plan to do.

Remember, it is illegal to dig up any wild trees or flowers on public or private land without permission first.

Make a list of what you have and don’t have.

Make another list of what you would like to plant for your new birdscape.

You might even mention to your neighbors what you plan on doing and dare suggest it become a neighborhood event.

I get excited talking to you about birds and nature.

Wouldn’t it be nice to give back what we get from our surroundings?

Until next time my friend.

Have a blessed week and always SMILE.

Ron

http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/

Ronald Patterson is an avid backyard birder, going back 40plus years.
Ron and his wife Karen owned a wildbird specialty store through much of the 90’s and through 2001. Ron is also a Michigan Certified Nurseryman. This aids in giving expert advice on birds and what to plant to attract wildbirds to your yard.

Ron’s newsletter:
Backyard Birding Tips
http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/
is a FREE weekly publication

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Gardening in itself is an art form. And the art of fine gardening is just that, an art. Fine gardening may mean many things to many people, but to me fine gardening means more than just a garden. It encompasses all that’s good and graceful in gardening and combines them to make one garden that is the epitome of all your dreams.

My enjoyment of fine gardening comes not only from the finished garden but from the endless hours that I spend designing and planning the actual garden, from the moment I first have the germ of an idea, to the moment I place the last sapling, and plant the last flower. All I want, all that I can be, should show through when first a person steps into this land of fine gardening, a place of peace and calm where a person can meditate on the finer things in life.

Therefore, a water feature, ideally one that will make a continuously soothing gurgle, with a small stepping-type of waterfall-cum-pond, placed on lovely slabs of flat rock with a hint of moss growing on it. A nice water lily or lotus to give off a contrasting color, and perhaps a fish or two. A few ferns and leafy rain-forest type plants placed around the pond, and I’m finished with this stage of my fine gardening.

Ideally I would love a big tree to stand in a corner of the garden, with a luscious velvety dark brown trunk that I can just about span with my arms, overflowing with vibrant green leaves spilling onto the ground in heedless abandon. Since I might not always get what I want, I’ll settle instead for a few saplings that will one day fulfil my wish.

Since green is my target for the moment, I’d also see about laying a lovely shady lawn that you can sink your bare feet into when taking a turn about your garden.

I love the idea of a Zen garden, but prefer colors and lots of plants, so I would incorporate this feature into my fine gardening efforts by placing a path, naturally made out of rough hewn stone, zigzagging in a leisurely course through the garden.

And to finish it all off I’d have a little alcove, unseen from afar, that afforded the curious visitor a wide-angled view of the whole garden, with a sun shade, and a low-lying bench with a few plump cushions strewn carelessly about, and all of it surrounded by a profusion of welcoming flowers.

In the distance I would set about placing a few boulders, pleasing in stature and color to the eye, surrounded perhaps by a few flowers.

And amidst all this fine splendor I would walk amongst my heartfelt efforts of fine gardening and sigh in satisfaction and peace. For what more is there to gardening, than the art of fine gardening.

Quentin Williams is the author of The Gardener’s Handbook. Learn the steps to creating your dream garden at http://www.gardeners.quentsinfo.com.

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